U.S. men's national team legend Landon Donovan will serve as interim head coach of the San Diego Wave for the remainder of the 2024 season, the NWSL club announced Friday.
The 42-year-old, the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. national team, will replace former interim Paul Buckle as he transitions into the role. Buckle's initial commitment to the interim role was through the summer as the Wave continue to search for a new head coach.
“First and foremost, we want to thank Paul for his professionalism and for honoring his commitment to help us get through this summer window,” San Diego Sporting Director and General Manager Camille Ashton said in a news release.
“We are thrilled to have Landon join the club and lead the team for the remainder of the season, including the first ever Concacaf Champions Cup W.
Welcome to Wave FC, @landandonovan 🌊
Donovan will serve as our interim head coach for the remainder of the 2024 season. image.twitter.com/UNOqlSyZSF
– San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) August 16, 2024
“Landon's level of knowledge, understanding and experience, both as a player and coach, provides us with a leader who can help guide this club to where we want to be – in a playoff position and competing for a championship. His passion for this city and growing the game, coupled with his player-first mentality, make him a natural fit for this club.”
From 2020 to 2022, Donovan was the head coach and executive vice president of soccer operations for the now-defunct San Diego Loyal in the USL Championship.
For the team's final season in 2023, the San Diego native was given the role of full-time executive vice president of football operations. Donovan's previous role with the Loyals was his first and only experience coaching at the professional level.
Donovan will now look to revive the reigning NWSL Shield champions, who currently sit outside of playoff contention thanks to a 3W-6D-7L record. The Wave were also eliminated in the group stage of the ongoing NWSL x Liga MX Women's Summer Cup.
San Diego will participate in the Concacaf Champions Cup W in its first match of the tournament against Santa Fe FC in Panama City, Panama, on August 20.
The club will then return to the NWSL for a home match against Angel City FC on August 24, which will feature the return of all six of its Olympians, including U.S. gold medalists Naomi Girma and Jaedyn Shaw.
Donovan, the only American man to record more than 50 goals and assists for the national team, received a long list of accolades from both club and country.
The 14-time MLS All-Star won six MLS Cup titles in his career with the San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy. At the national team level, Donovan won four Gold Cup trophies and was named Best Young Player at the 2002 World Cup.
